Saturday, April 24, 10am to 2pm - Meadowbrook Park
Work PartyWe've scheduled this
year's cleanup of Meadowbrook Park for Saturday, April 24, 10am to
2pm. Come one and all. Bring mud boots, sun hat and gloves.
Garbage bags, too.
Enter the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery at Sachem Ave off Mystic St (Rte 3).
Go left and then right over the Mill Brook bridge and turn left onto
Brook Ave. There is an opening in the fence to the wetland. It's always interesting to see what's washed down through Arlington each
year. Cori Beckwith, Administrator, Arlington Conservation Commission,
781-316-3012.

Arlington
Land Stewards Meeting on March 29 Report

Over
thirty people gathered together to talk about and plan land stewardship
activities in Arlington.

The
biggest news item was the creation of the Arlington Conservation
Stewardship Fund through the Arlington Land Trust which will provide
some financial support for our activities. More information is in this
PDF file, and donation forms are in this
PDF file.

Arlington has approximately 30 acres
of Conservation Land.Most
of this land is in small parcels scattered throughout the town.Who takes care of this land?The resources of Town government are limited and the
responsibility is spread throughout many departments.Many of these parcels are not visible from roadways and are
never subject to police patrol. Under these conditions, a sustained
involvement on the part of concerned Town residents is essential for
proper care of the land.

For this reason, the Arlington
Conservation Commission (ACC) is sponsoring the Arlington Conservation
Land Stewards (ACLS) group to provide support and guidance for citizen
volunteers who will take an active role in the protection of public
land. By working with this group, the effectiveness of individual
actions will be multiplied several fold and the long-term continuity
of stewardship efforts will be assured.

The primary thrust of the
stewardship program is protection:soil from erosion, plants and animals from destruction, ponds
and streams from pollution, and the beauty of the land from litter and
vandalism. Stewards may contribute to this protection by reporting
issues and problems to the appropriate Town officials and, when safe
and appropriate, speaking directly to known offenders.

A second important objective of the
program is education of the public concerning the value of the land
and their responsibilities toward it.Unfortunately abuses of public land often occur through
ignorance or thoughtlessness. This is especially true with regard to
young people.Yet,
typically, many offenders become enthusiastic and responsible users of
conservation land when provided with proper guidance.However land stewards should not consider themselves as
enforcers, but rather as educators.

Finally, land stewards may
undertake actions in order to correct a situation.Such action may involve erosion control projects, clean-up
campaigns, posting of regulations, and similar efforts.